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Yes, it's spring time
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THE
STEEPLE BIWEEKLY
of The First Religious Society in Newburyport,
a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
Office hours: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (M - F)
Web Page: www.frsuu.org
e-mail: frsuu@netway.com
Church Phone: (978) 465-0602
Minister's Line: (978) 465-6504
Fax: (978) 462-0384
The Rev. Harold E. Babcock, Minister
The Rev. Bertrand H. Steeves, Minister Emeritus
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Deadline
for submission for next Steeple Biweekly: Friday, June 5
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Service of May 31
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May 31, 10:30
a.m.
Pentecost
Rev. Harold Babcock
"Till We Become the Place"
Today, in the Christian tradition, is Pentecost or
"Whitsunday," which marks the descent of the holy Spirit on the
Apostles (as detailed in Acts 2: 1) in the form of "tongues of
fire" and the formation of the first Christian Church. Among
our Transylvanian Unitarian co-religionists, Pentecost is one of the four
most important religious holidays in the church year, along with
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It is one of the four times a
year when they celebrate communion.
My sermon title this morning is taken from the hymn "Come Down, O
Love Divine," which speaks of our becoming the place "wherein
the holy Spirit makes a dwelling." What might it mean for us
to become such a place, and does the idea of the holy Spirit even have
meaning for contemporary Unitarian Universalists? The sermon will
investigate.
- Harold Babcock
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been
donated by Susan Ricker and Bill Zarakas and
family in loving memory of Bill's brother, Thomas Zarakas,
and father, Peter Zarakas.
Flowers: The flowers are donated by Ann Kemp in honor of family
birthdays: Ann, Deidre, Cameron, and Christopher, and the Morris!
Ushers: Dorothy Fairweather and Leanna Sorcar.
Coffee Hour Hosts: Cynthia and Austin Walsh, Ian and Amy Wallis,
Terri Unger and Gary Strack, Kurt and Lisa Umholtz.
Celebratory Coffee Hour - We will have a special,
celebratory coffee hour on this day to meet and welcome our new music
director, Jay Lane.
Collection for Cause: One half of the loose plate
contributions for May will go the Turning Point Summer Camp Program. Here
is an excerpt from Turning Point in response to a previous FRS
contribution: "It is a well known fact that we [at Turning Point]
would not be able to provide the services that we do for our families
without the support of our community. I am afraid that the truth of this
statement has never been so glaringly evident as
it is regarding this year's Children's Campership
Fund campaign. I am grateful that your membership has us in your hearts
and minds . . . on behalf of the children served by Turning Point, Inc.'s
Division of Family Services, please extend our
deepest gratitude to all who contributed to this year's campaign. We are
grateful for the contribution, and again, we would not be able to provide
summer camp experience for our deserving children were it not for the
thoughtful and generous support of such caring people."
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Jazz
Vespers of June 3
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Wednesday, June
3, 8:00 p.m.
Jazz Vespers
Madden & Co.
You can't make
'em move
if it ain't got that groove
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Service of
June 7
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June 7, 10:30
a.m.
Rev. Harold Babcock
"Living in the Layers"
My sermon title this morning is taken from Stanley Kunitz's poem, "The Layers," which advises
us to "Live in the layers/ not on the litter," and concludes,
"I am not done with my changes." This seems like an
appropriate topic as we approach our annual summer hiatus, which might be
a good time for us to assess where we are and where we have come
from. "I have walked through many lives," Kunitz writes. And so have we.
- Harold Babcock
Steeple Lighting: The steeple lighting for this week has been
donated by Robert and
Rachel Fitzgibbon in memory of Anne Jensen.
Flowers: The flowers are donated by Mary Wilkins Haslinger in memory of her gentle and loving mother,
Peggy Morrill Wilkins.
Ushers: Ray and Darlene Wilson.
Coffee Hour Hosts: Matt and Terri Walsh, Jane Tuohy,
Erica Swanson, Kathy Straubel and Monaselis Straubel.
Current Events Forum: 9:30 in Lower Meetinghouse Conference Room.
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Lunch with
the Minister
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The last Lunch with the Minister for this church
year will be on Tuesday, June 2. We will read the short story "The
Missing Person," by Tobias Wolff. We meet at noon in the Lower
Meetinghouse; all are welcome!
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FRS
Clean-Up Morning
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Saturday, May
30, from 8:00 a.m. to noon
We need a large and energetic crew for fours hours
for cleaning pews, cleaning and
rearranging kitchenware, and taking care of small fix-it jobs.
- Pews/Gallery: One of our Shared Ministry Groups
will tackle these. We may also use this task to divert and utilize
numbers of the throng who are bound to appear on the 30th. Part of
this task is to do a punch list of the pews: nails, hinges, doors
and other hazards
- Paint: Jon Steeves will tackle with
his crack team; volunteer Roger Dardinski
will be concentrating on the gate enclosure out back, the iron fence
out front, or both. Jon's crew will also work over the Building
Committee punch list,
- Steeple trash: Peter Erickson will take this with
occasional roving between crews to make sure that we are feeding
enough grist to the mill.
- Choir room: Music Director Jay Lane and choir
members will go to work here. Work includes moving some furniture
- Kitchen: The Hospitality Committee has
committed to doing a complete kitchen clean up during the summer,
but not on the clean-up day.
- Grounds: Weeding and raking, and maybe even
the large dirt pile behind the Parish Hall if we have good weather
and strong backs. Peter Erickson can start up an ad-hoc grounds crew
before retreating to the steeple.
We have
buckets and rags and other cleaning materials, but bring your own as
well. Sign up? No way! Just show up at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.
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The
Minister's Summer Plans
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From Your
Minister
I will be attending the UUA General Assembly in
Salt Lake City, Utah, from June 22 to June 28. As of this issue of
the Steeple, Sabrina and I have made vacation plans for the week of July
11 to 19, when we will be participating in a bicycle camping trip along
the entire length of the Erie Canal in upstate New York. The
following week we will be in Maine for a family get-together. There is a
possibility that my work as Chair of the UU Partner Church Council will
also take me back to Europe during the last week of July and first week
of August, where among other things I would be attending the "World
Gathering" of Unitarians in the Transylvanian city of Szekelyudvarhely, as well as visiting in our partner
church village of Ujszekely. As always,
John and Vicki will know of my whereabouts, and there will be ministerial
coverage for those times when I am out of reach. During the times
when I am at home here in Newburyport, I will as always be "on
call" for pastoral emergencies.
- Harold Babcock
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FRS
Alliance Picnic
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The next meeting of the FRS Alliance will be on
Tuesday, June 9, at noon. We will picnic
at the New Hampshire home of Marise Fraser.
Please bring your own bag lunch. Dessert will be provided. Carpooling
will be available at 11:30 at the Hyman's lot at Shaw's Plaza. This
is our final meeting until September. All are invited. Bring a
friend!
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FRS Book
Sale
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The FRS Book
Sale Needs You and Your Donations!
The FRS will again be having a book sale during
Yankee Homecoming, from Thursday
through Saturday, July 30 through August 1. To make this a success, we
need two kinds of donation:
- Your used books, DVDs, magazines, CDs,
and vinyl - drop these at the church office starting on June 22.
- Your time. We generally work for
two-hour shifts from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday (setting
up) through Saturday.
To volunteer your time, please
call Vicki Dyer at (978) 465-0602, x401.
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A Note from
the FRS Historical Committee
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As a member or friend of our congregation, have you
ever wondered how North American Unitarian Universalism and our own First
Religious Society came about? Our forbears, the Great Migrators and their progeny, traveled a challenging,
surprising, and rewarding road. Over the next two years the Historical
Committee will explore the first segments of their travels: from 1635 to
1760 (church year 2009-2010), and from 1760 to 1787 (church year 2010 -
2011).
We're looking for fellow travelers on this repeat journey. It will
include historic Sunday Services, Great Debates, and lots, lots more.
Would you like to join us? If it would interest you to learn, for
instance, what roles Henry VIII and his daughter, "Bloody
Mary," played in launching the Great Migration, then
by all means join the Historical Committee. We can guarantee challenges,
surprises, and, most of all, many rewards!
Our small, friendly committee meets next on Saturday, June 20, at 9:30
a.m. If you'd like to join us, please alert Marise
Fraser, Committee Chair, MLFraser@juno.com.
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Summer
Schedule for Hampton Falls UU Church
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The First Religious Society is closed from June 22
until the Sunday after Labor Day, September 13. In the summer, many of
our parishioners attend, either regularly or occasionally, The First
Congregational Society (Unitarian) in Hampton Falls, NH. Services there
are at 10:45 a.m.
June 28: Deborah
Knowlton
July 5: Janet Bowering
July 12: John Burciaga
July 19: Frank Clarkson
July 25: Holly Bayllies
August 2: Thomas Wintle
August 9: Bertrand Steeves
August 16: Connie Sternberg
August 23: Pamela Barz
August 30: Harold Babcock
September 6: Joseph Bassett
The First Congregational Society (Unitarian) is a separate church from
the First Religious Society. While our own minister and minister emeritus
are among the speakers and many of the other speakers will be familiar to
FRS members, the forum is an open pulpit and thus will likely include a
broad range of views.
The church is on Route 88, just past Applecrest
Farms: take Route 95 North to Route 107 East to Route 1 North. Go through
Seabrook to Hampton Falls. Turn left on Route 88 at the center of Hampton
Falls. Go about 3 miles down Route 88 to the church just past Applecrest on the right. Parking is in the rear of
the building.
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2009 Boston
Pride Parade
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from the
Massachusetts Bay District of the UUA
The Massachusetts Bay District office invites you
to join other UUs in the District to
march together in the 2009 Boston Pride Parade on June 13. The parade
begins at noon, leaves from Copley Square and ends at the Boston Common.
Participation is free! For more details and to sign up, please contact Meck Groot at
mgroot@mbduua.org or call the District Office at 617-393-4216. Come out
for a fun-filled time!
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Rapping
with Liam
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UU Rap by
Liam Wilbur
in case you
missed it at the service on May 17
I'm not a Rastafarian, man, I'm Unitarian,
And I got people all the way from Washington to Maryland.
You're living in fairyland if you think we're not real,
We're not going anywhere and we all got nerves of steel.
We believe in our beliefs, and along with all my peeps,
We're the youth, we're the future, the commanders-in-chief,
Of the UU Army, so come on join me,
Or if not, at least sit back in ya' seat and
enjoy me.
I'm sending out a message to the kids of the world,
This is the call to worship, the hymn that you heard,
Reverberating off of these white walls.
I don't spit in the club, I flip verses in meeting halls
So pay attention to my words, both the one and the other:
We embrace with love like a hug from your mother
We accept all kinds like major credit card companies
We welcome all and we do it very comfortably
You'll never regret, if you decide to stay as one of us,
We're searching for the truth, like Christopher Columbus.
But it's the journey that matters, that's the key,
Along the way you'll find friends and self discovery.
To all my elders in the place this one goes out to you,
They are the people in my life who've helped me make it through
And to all the young'uns, the young ones, in
the place today,
Stick with us, you won't regret it a day,
'Cause we'll support you and guide you, whatever you need,
We'll make you strong, it won't be long, we will help you to lead.
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FRS Dish-Removal
Program
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Come and get 'em: Please take home anything you
left in the kitchen-from May Breakfast, Christmas, or Annual Meeting.
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Summer
Meditation Program
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The Newburyport Meditation Group will meet
throughout the summer in the Lower Meetinghouse on Mondays from 6:30 to
7:30 p.m. on these dates:
June 1, 8, 15, 22,
19 July 13,
20 August 3, 10, 17, 24
(No classes May
25, July 6 and 27)
If you have any questions about this program,
please call Peg Travers at (978) 363-2910 or write to her at
mjtravers@verizon.net.
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A
Cappella
Chorus
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July 6 - July
17 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
This ten-day workshop is directed by the FRS's former tenor section
leader, Neal Ferreira. It is appropriate for students with some singing
experience, ages 13 to 19. The workshop meets at the Musical Suite in The
Tannery in Newburyport. There will be a concert in the FRS Sanctuary on
the last day of the workshop. The cost per student is $300.00. To get
more information or to sign up, call (978) 462-8225 or write to
info@themusicalsuite.com.
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Seeking
Volunteers
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Organ
Renovation Steering Committee
At the Parish Meeting of May 3, the FRS voted unanimously to create an
Organ Renovation Steering Committee (1) to develop and execute a plan to
raise $289,900 from the membership and other sources to renovate the
organ and (2) to manage the renovation project through to completion,
including hiring a clerk of the works, and periodically reporting the
progress of the project to the Parish Committee and the membership.
Several FRS members have already volunteered to serve on this committee,
but others would be welcome. If you are interested in volunteering or if
you'd like more information on this steering committee, please call FRS
Business Manager, John Mercer at (978) 465-0602, x404. The final
membership of the task force will probably be decided at the Parish
Committee meeting of Wednesday, June 10.
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Calendar
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SANC =
Sanctuary
PH = Parish Hall (1 = lower floor, 2 = upper floor)
LMH = Lower Meetinghouse Hall
MH = Lower Meetinghouse classrooms (A, B, C, and D)
CONF = Conference Room
Thursday, May 28
12:00pm - AA Meeting (PH-1)
6:00pm - Tai Chi (PH-1)
7:30pm - Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
Friday, May 29
7:00am - Business Networking (private) (MH-A&B)
10:00am - Friday Morning Discussion Group (MH-CONF)
12:00pm - Deadline for "Taking Care"
7:00pm - Smulowitz Rehearsal (PH-1)
Saturday, May 30
8:00am - Clean-up Morning
12:00pm - Smulowitz Rehearsal (PH-1)
1:00pm - Small Solutions Event (LMH)
5:00pm - Open House for Young Church Parents (offsite)
5:00pm - Young Church Parents Childcare (LMH)
Sunday, May 31
10:30am - Sunday Service
2:00pm - Smulowitz Rehearsal (PH-1)
5:00pm - Yoga and Meditation Vitality Workshop (LMH)
8:00pm - Sunday Night AA Meeting (PH-1)
8:00pm - Sunday Night Alanon (PH-2)
Monday, June 1
7:30am - Contemplation/Meditation (PH-2)
6:30pm - Buddhist Meditation Group (LMH)
7:30pm - Small Group Ministry: O'Brien (CONF)
Tuesday, June 2
12:00pm - AA Meeting (PH-1)
12:00pm - Lunch with the Minister
7:00pm - AA Step Sisters Meeting (PH-1)
7:30pm - Adult Ed: Creative Writing Workshop (CONF)
Wednesday, June 3
5:30pm - HR Subcommittee (CONF) at 5:30
7:00pm - AA Meeting (PH-1)
8:00pm - Jazz Vespers
Thursday, June 4
12:00pm - AA Meeting (PH-1)
6:00pm - Tai Chi (PH-1)
7:30pm - Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
Friday, June 5
7:00am - Business Networking (private) (MH-A&B)
10:00am - Friday Morning Discussion Group (MH-CONF)
12:00pm - Deadline for Steeple Biweekly
Saturday, June 6
Smulowitz Rehearsal (PH-1)
1:00pm - Recital: Don Weng (SANC and LMH)
Sunday, June 7
10:30am - Sunday Service
12:00pm - Child Dedication (Wolfson) (SANC)
5:00pm - Yoga and Meditation Vitality Workshop (LMH)
8:00pm - Sunday Night AA Meeting (PH-1)
8:00pm - Sunday Night Alanon (PH-2)
Monday, June 8
7:30am - Contemplation/Meditation (PH-2)
10:00am - Shared Group Ministry: Turner (CONF)
6:00pm - Rehearsal: Peabody Recital (SANC)
6:30pm - Buddhist Meditation Group (LMH)
7:00pm - Peabody Voice Recital (SANC)
Tuesday, June 9
12:00pm - AA Meeting (PH-1)
12:00pm - Alliance Picnic (offsite)
7:00pm - AA Step Sisters Meeting (PH-1)
7:00pm - Religious Education Committee Meeting (offsite)
7:30pm - Adult Ed: Creative Writing Workshop (CONF)
7:30pm - Denominational Affairs Meeting (MH-D)
Wednesday, June 10
4:00pm - Parish Committee Retreat (LMH)
7:00pm - AA Meeting (PH-1)
Thursday, June 11
12:00pm - AA Meeting (PH-1)
6:00pm - Tai Chi (PH-1)
7:30pm - Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
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Quick
Link
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FRS Home Page
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